The first
episode may have made Hoover wish he hadn't given his approval. The
FBI debuted with a story about a killer who strangled women with their
hair.

Jack Gould,
TV critic for The New York Times, opined that the episode showed
"a lack of taste." Hoover would later complain that the initial
episode "frankly fell short of the hope we had held for the series."

Gould wasn't
a fan of the series. He bluntly suggested that the FBI "should stay
out of show business."

He also wrote:
"No one could question Mr. Hoover's determination to do what he feels
is best for the bureau, but a sustained commercial television series extolling
his men and his policies week after week will look strange to millions
for whom the civil rights battle in the United States and the Warren Commission's
criticisms of the F.B.I. are vividly in mind. For the F.B.I. at this moment
to advance its cause through the instrumentality of a program predominantly
designed to sell cars and other merchandise is to be faulted on grounds
of taste, if nothing else. It is not the way for a subsidiary of the United
States government to explain itself."

Martin
dismissed Gould's criticism: "I think Jack Gould takes a hostile
attitude toward television, and a pseudo-intellectual approach to build
straw men he can try to knock down for the purpose of making controversy."
Except for the posthumous comments, Hoover was largely silent on his opinion
of The FBI. But he was pleased with how well Zimbalist came across
as an FBI agent. "Mr. Zimbalist has captured the espirit de corps
of the FBI and what it is like to be an FBI agent. ...the image he projects
is important because it is closely intertwined with the confidence and
trust American people have in the FBI," Hoover told TV Guide.

Zimbalist
became so fixed in the minds of the public with the image of the FBI that
Hoover would sometimes get letters that closed with people asking him
to give their regards to Inspector Erskine - Zimbalist's character.

Zimbalist
met with Hoover once a year before beginning filming on the new season.
But Hoover never directly offered any criticism of the program.

"In
fact, he never talked to me about any details of the show at all,"
Zimbalist said. "He would just say in general terms that he liked
it very much."

STORY
CONTINUES - AFTER THIS AD FOR VIDEO DOWNLOADS:

Zimbalist
found the FBI's control of the show challenging because of the bureau's
restrictions. "From my point of view as an actor, it was interesting
because we were denied virtually all of the liberty that most actors are
granted. We couldn't have anything to do with women. We couldn't smoke.
We couldn't drink. We couldn't put our feet up on the desk. We couldn't
take our coat off. We were little good boys. And the fascinating challenge
to me was to work within those structures, very defined limitations, and
still not be a bore. I found that a fascinating challenge."